Rhonie Dela Cruz

RHONIE C. DELA CRUZ, an historian, is the Chairman of the Bamban Historical Society (an active organization in the preservation and promotion of history and heritage in Bamban, Tarlac) with particular interest in the military history and the Aetas. He is also the curator and owner the Bamban WWII Museum, the institution has been recognized as an important WWII educational site and a center for public history.

He is a recognized Historian by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), being a lecturer and guest speaker on national and international conferences on WWII History from 2017 to 2020. His research journals in WWII were published by the NHCP on its Journal of the Philippine Local History and Heritage. He is also a prominent speaker on various historical events with subjects mostly on WWII History and Museum.

Mr. Dela Cruz advocacy, passion and interest in WWII is in fact based on his family lineage, as he is a descendant of WWII veterans. Further, he had also written on the history of the Aetas on the Mag-Antsi and Aberling Tribes of Bamban and Capas, Tarlac; the former formed part of the Claim Book of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) Application.

As an historian, he is the key person in the pursuit of finding remains of the war dead left in the battlefields of the Bamban through the Operation Fireflies, and in exploring and opening of Japanese war tunnels with the Project Discovery War Tunnels. At present, he is also engaged in the production of various historical documentaries related to Bamban-Clark area in the social media, as You Tube vlogger, through the Investigating History Series.

THE DEATH AND KILLING OF US NAVY AVIATORS LT. NAMOSKI AND ARM1c EUGENE GRAHAM – OCTOBER 29, 1944

A DAY TO REMEMBER October 29 is such one events; it might not be a national consciousness but it had left a mark in the memory of those who lived during WWII. Such is the case in the town of Concepcion, Tarlac, where, on a sunny Sunday morning of October 29, 1944, at the height …

THE DEATH AND KILLING OF US NAVY AVIATORS LT. NAMOSKI AND ARM1c EUGENE GRAHAM – OCTOBER 29, 1944 Read More »

THE MABALACAT EAST AIRFIELD, AERIAL VIEWS ON NOVEMBER 6, 1944 AND NOVEMBER 1, 2025

Investigating History: The Japanese WWII AirfieldsTHE MABALACAT EAST AIRFIELD, NOVEMBER 6, 1944 ANDNOVEMBER 1, 2025 Photos shows the Mabalacat East Airfield in aerial view taken by aircraft (probably F6F Grumman) from U.S.S Wasp that conducted massive air attacks and fighter sweeps on November 6, 1944. Two images were taken during the fighter sweeps, one overlooking …

THE MABALACAT EAST AIRFIELD, AERIAL VIEWS ON NOVEMBER 6, 1944 AND NOVEMBER 1, 2025 Read More »

KAMIKAZE FROM MABALACAT AIRFIELDS, OCTOBER 25, 1944: NOW JAPANESE WORLD PEACE DAY 1944 年 10 月 25 日、マバラカット飛行場からの神風

Investigating History:KAMIKAZE FROM MABALACAT AIRFIELDS, OCTOBER 25, 1944: NOW JAPANESE WORLD PEACE DAY1944 年 10 月 25 日、マバラカット飛行場からの神風 Clark Field area had been scenes of WWII events, being an important Japanese air forces facility. The airfields surrounding Clark, especially Mabalacat and the Clark proper air strips were used both in conventional and Kamikaze special attack …

KAMIKAZE FROM MABALACAT AIRFIELDS, OCTOBER 25, 1944: NOW JAPANESE WORLD PEACE DAY 1944 年 10 月 25 日、マバラカット飛行場からの神風 Read More »

THE FIRST KAMIKAZE – OCTOBER 20 AND 21, 1945: THE BEGINNING OF JAPAN’S SPECIAL ATTACK FORCE OF WWII 最初の神風特別攻撃:1945年10月20日と21日

Investigating History:THE FIRST KAMIKAZE – OCTOBER 20 AND 21, 1945: THE BEGINNING OF JAPAN’S SPECIAL ATTACK FORCE OF WWII 最初の神風特別攻撃:1945年10月20日と21日 INTRO: THE LEYTE LANDING AND THE SHOGO OPERATION 昭一号「レイテ」作戦With the landing of General MacArthur at Tacloban on October 20, 1944, it was clear that the he made true to his promise of “I shall return!” …

THE FIRST KAMIKAZE – OCTOBER 20 AND 21, 1945: THE BEGINNING OF JAPAN’S SPECIAL ATTACK FORCE OF WWII 最初の神風特別攻撃:1945年10月20日と21日 Read More »

SERGEANT EVERETT R. BROOKS: AN AMERICAN WWII GUERRILLA LEADER IN TARLAC

Memorial Day 2025WWII HEROES PROJECT 2025SERGEANT EVERETT R. BROOKS: AN AMERICAN WWII GUERRILLA LEADER IN TARLAC Bamban WWII Museum Heroes HallMay 26, 2025 is an American federal holiday, the Memorial Day, honoring military personnel who died in combat serving in the armed forces. As an American ally in WWII, at Bamban WWII Museum, we deemed …

SERGEANT EVERETT R. BROOKS: AN AMERICAN WWII GUERRILLA LEADER IN TARLAC Read More »

THE ATTACK ON CLARK FIELD, NOVEMBER 5, 1944: AN AERIAL VIEW OF WWII HISTORY – クラークフィールドへの攻撃、写真。

Investigating History:THE ATTACK ON CLARK FIELD, NOVEMBER 5, 1944: A PANORAMIC VIEW OF WWII HISTORY – クラークフィールドへの攻撃、写真。 CLARK FIELD AS JAPANESE MAIN AIRBASE – クラーク・ヒコジョを日本の主要空軍基地にBy the end of October 1944, the Japanese Army and Navy air forces’ main air base in Luzon was established at Clark Air Center, with its Clark proper, the Bamban, Mabalacat, …

THE ATTACK ON CLARK FIELD, NOVEMBER 5, 1944: AN AERIAL VIEW OF WWII HISTORY – クラークフィールドへの攻撃、写真。 Read More »

THE SECOND BATTLE OF ANGELES: FILIPINO ATTACK ON AMERICAN LINE, OCTOBER 10-20, 1899

Investigating History: The Forgotten Conflicts Of The Philippine-American WarTHE SECOND BATTLE OF ANGELES: FILIPINO ATTACK ON AMERICAN LINE, OCTOBER 10-20, 1899 AFTERMATH OF THE BATTLE OF PORACOctober is a month that is one of the highlights of the WWII History, the Leyte Landing and the Battle of Leyte Gulf that pave way for the start …

THE SECOND BATTLE OF ANGELES: FILIPINO ATTACK ON AMERICAN LINE, OCTOBER 10-20, 1899 Read More »

THE JAPANESE WWII TUNNELS OF BAMBAN HILLS: THE KAMII BUTAI NORTH SECTOR 大東亜戦争 バンバン丘陵のトンネル 1945年: 上井舞台北の場所

Investigating History: THE JAPANESE WWII TUNNELS OF BAMBAN HILLS: THE KAMII BUTAI NORTH SECTOR 大東亜戦争 バンバン丘陵のトンネル 1945年: 上井舞台北の場所 In the continuation of our Project Discovery WWII Tunnels, we ventured into the northern sector of Bamban, another WWII Battlefield anchored on the ridges of Macapul, Layac and Pulung Diablu. During WWII, the area became another fiercest …

THE JAPANESE WWII TUNNELS OF BAMBAN HILLS: THE KAMII BUTAI NORTH SECTOR 大東亜戦争 バンバン丘陵のトンネル 1945年: 上井舞台北の場所 Read More »

THE JAPANESE SECRET BASE IN BAMBAN, NOW A TOURISM DESTINATION – バンバンの日本海軍本部

Investigating History: THE JAPANESE SECRET BASE IN BAMBAN, NOW A TOURISM DESTINATION – バンバンの日本海軍本部Unknown to many historians, especially in WWII in the Philippines, there was a time when the Imperial Japanese Navy’s 1st Combined Air Fleet, composed of the primary naval air force command in the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte in the last …

THE JAPANESE SECRET BASE IN BAMBAN, NOW A TOURISM DESTINATION – バンバンの日本海軍本部 Read More »

WWII BATTLEFIELD AND RELICS: THE BAMBAN WWII MUSEUM COLLECTION 戦場と戦争の遺跡: バンバン博物館収集

Investigating HistoryWWII BATTLEFIELD AND RELICS: THE BAMBAN WWII MUSEUM COLLECTION戦場と戦争の遺跡: バンバン博物館収集 THE BATTLEGROUND – 戦場Bamban Hills and the eastern part of the Mt. Pinatubo overlooking the vast plains and Clark Field used to be the basement of the Kembu Group composite army and navy division. From north at the Bamban, to the south and southwest …

WWII BATTLEFIELD AND RELICS: THE BAMBAN WWII MUSEUM COLLECTION 戦場と戦争の遺跡: バンバン博物館収集 Read More »

Bamban WWII Museum
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